2017 bear lottery

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    A

    AlBeight

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    Mar 30, 2017
    4,460
    Hampstead
    ChrisD

    ChrisD

    Ultimate Member
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    Jan 19, 2013
    3,025
    Conowingo
    AlBeight said:
    Crap. Another fail. This is starting to bug me. More land open, more permits, more bears, but seems like less chance to get picked. Gonna figure out WV's non-resident system. 20 mile from where I'd hunt in Garrett, I believe no restrictions. I guess the bears stop at the state line.
    Click to expand...

    I hunt WV. Non resident license, bear stamp, bear damage stamp, conservation/law enforcement stamp, and national forrest stamp. All over the counter. Some counties open by lottery for bear during deer firearms.
    I was going to try to make a few days in late September, but not looking like I will have the time:mad54: I will buy the stamp as the county I hunt there (Randolph) is open during deer gun this year, prior years were deer gun with a lottery for bear. Seen plenty of them out there over the years.

    https://www.wvdnr.gov/Hunting/Regs1718/Season_dates.pdf

    https://www.wvdnr.gov/Hunting/Regs1718/Bear.pdf
     
    Sticky

    Sticky

    Beware of Dog
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 16, 2013
    4,502
    AA Co
    Holy crap, I got one! :party29:
    Thanks for posting Chris, I was wondering when they would post the results. Now I got some work to do! :beer:
     
    A

    AlBeight

    Member
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 30, 2017
    4,460
    Hampstead
    ChrisD said:
    I hunt WV. Non resident license, bear stamp, bear damage stamp, conservation/law enforcement stamp, and national forrest stamp. All over the counter. Some counties open by lottery for bear during deer firearms.
    I was going to try to make a few days in late September, but not looking like I will have the time:mad54: I will buy the stamp as the county I hunt there (Randolph) is open during deer gun this year, prior years were deer gun with a lottery for bear. Seen plenty of them out there over the years.

    https://www.wvdnr.gov/Hunting/Regs1718/Season_dates.pdf

    https://www.wvdnr.gov/Hunting/Regs1718/Bear.pdf
    Click to expand...
    Thx for the tip. That cleared up a bunch. Was actually looking at buying acreage in Garrett this summer for deer & bear. Most good properties and deals were in WV. Looks like MD can eat it, buying in WV ASAP.
     
    Sticky

    Sticky

    Beware of Dog
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 16, 2013
    4,502
    AA Co
    AlBeight said:
    Congrats!
    Click to expand...
    Thanks! I have been putting in for years, but I did get to hunt a few years back with a buddy on his tag. Looking forward to it again, as I don't get to hunt the western part of the state much anymore.
     
    Sticky

    Sticky

    Beware of Dog
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 16, 2013
    4,502
    AA Co
    AlBeight said:
    Regarding the "calling in": If you get picked be careful to plan what happens if you do get one. Unless they changed from 2 years ago, you have to physically check in a harvest by 8 pm that night, or call by then to report it and check it in the next am. The problem is you can hunt til nearly 7 pm, and most bears are active at dusk/dark. I was in Savage River SF, 20 min from (limited) cell service, and 45+ min away from the Mt Nebo check station. I was 1.5 miles back up in a mountain, with not so great footing. 20-25 min from truck at best. All told from where I was, from tree stand to phone contact w/DNR might be 45 min assuming I bugged out immediately after the shot & didn't hang around a second longer. I'd barely make the legal call-in time.

    On night one at literally 2 min of legal time left I had an opportunity for a very easy shot on what was probably a 450-500 on boar and (somehow) decided intelligently that since I was by myself there'd be no way in heck I could've recovered it. On the way back to hotel I suddenly realized that I would never have been able to comply with the reporting rules anyway. On the follow-up survey I complained about that, I didn't get picked last year so I'm not sure if they addressed that or not. The way I read those rules, I wouldn't have been legal to leave it that night, then call it in the next am, then go retrieve it. It said report the harvest by 8pm or check it in by 8pm. Couldn't lie and say you got it the next morning, since when you take it to Mt Nebo it'd be frozen & stretched out. That little rule glitch was in the back of mind the next 3 nights. Luckily, or maybe unluckily, I didn't have to deal with that the rest of the week. I woulda stayed all night into the next day to get a big one out if I was allowed, but that rule changed the game, made me think twice.

    Bottom line, if the rule hasn't changed, plan for your successes and failures more than you would for just a regular ol' whitetail hunt.

    Best of luck.
    Click to expand...
    They did change this around. This year you have 24hrs to check in the bear at a checking station. That's reasonable. :thumbsup:

    *edit* I just found the check-in requirements and they have to be checked by 8pm the day of the kill (which is kinda silly), but... if you can't, you have to call DNR and let them know and then you have 24hrs...

    Quoted from the DNR info page...

    Black Bear Check-in Procedures

    Pursuant to regulation, successful bear hunters are required to transport their bear to an official bear checking station by 8:00 PM on the day of the kill. However, if a hunter kills a bear and is unable to get it to an official checking station by 8:00 PM on the day of the kill, the hunter must contact the Wildlife and Heritage Service prior to the 8:00 PM deadline by calling 301-334-4255. The hunter will then have 24 hours to report to a designated bear checking station with the bear carcass.
    Three bear checking stations will be in operation during the bear-hunting season:
    In Garrett County, the DNR Mt. Nebo Wildlife Management Area work complex located at 1728 Kings Run Road, Oakland (at the intersection of Rt. 219) will serve as a bear checking station and will be open throughout the entire bear hunting season.
    In Allegany County, the DNR Billmeyer Wildlife Management Area work complex located at 11701 Mountain Road, Flintstone located between exits #62 and #64 off I-68 will serve as a bear checking station and will be open throughout the entire bear hunting season.
    The Albert Powell Fish Hatchery located at 20901 Fish Hatchery Rd, Hagerstown, Maryland (near the intersection of I-70 and Maryland State Route 66) will serve as a bear checking station and will be open on a limited basis (see below).
    Special Conditions for the Albert Powell Fish Hatchery bear checking station:

    The checking station located at the Albert Powell Fish Hatchery will only be staffed during the first two days (Monday and Tuesday) of the bear hunting season.
    For the remainder of the season (Thursday and Friday) hunters harvesting a bear in either Washington or Frederick counties may:


    • take the bear to the Allegany County checking station, or
    • call the Mt Nebo Wildlife Office at 301-334-4255 so that arrangements can be made for DNR staff to meet you and check your bear in Washington or Frederick County.
     
    A

    AlBeight

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    Mar 30, 2017
    4,460
    Hampstead
    Sticky said:
    They did change this around. This year you have 24hrs to check in the bear at a checking station. That's reasonable. :thumbsup:

    *edit* I just found the check-in requirements and they have to be checked by 8pm the day of the kill (which is kinda silly), but... if you can't, you have to call DNR and let them know and then you have 24hrs...

    Quoted from the DNR info page...

    Black Bear Check-in Procedures

    Pursuant to regulation, successful bear hunters are required to transport their bear to an official bear checking station by 8:00 PM on the day of the kill. However, if a hunter kills a bear and is unable to get it to an official checking station by 8:00 PM on the day of the kill, the hunter must contact the Wildlife and Heritage Service prior to the 8:00 PM deadline by calling 301-334-4255. The hunter will then have 24 hours to report to a designated bear checking station with the bear carcass.
    Three bear checking stations will be in operation during the bear-hunting season:
    In Garrett County, the DNR Mt. Nebo Wildlife Management Area work complex located at 1728 Kings Run Road, Oakland (at the intersection of Rt. 219) will serve as a bear checking station and will be open throughout the entire bear hunting season.
    In Allegany County, the DNR Billmeyer Wildlife Management Area work complex located at 11701 Mountain Road, Flintstone located between exits #62 and #64 off I-68 will serve as a bear checking station and will be open throughout the entire bear hunting season.
    The Albert Powell Fish Hatchery located at 20901 Fish Hatchery Rd, Hagerstown, Maryland (near the intersection of I-70 and Maryland State Route 66) will serve as a bear checking station and will be open on a limited basis (see below).
    Special Conditions for the Albert Powell Fish Hatchery bear checking station:

    The checking station located at the Albert Powell Fish Hatchery will only be staffed during the first two days (Monday and Tuesday) of the bear hunting season.
    For the remainder of the season (Thursday and Friday) hunters harvesting a bear in either Washington or Frederick counties may:


    • take the bear to the Allegany County checking station, or
    • call the Mt Nebo Wildlife Office at 301-334-4255 so that arrangements can be made for DNR staff to meet you and check your bear in Washington or Frederick County.
    Click to expand...
    Nice. That helps. Because of that rule 2 years ago, I limited myself to where I could/would hunt. I had to make sure I could get out relatively quickly just in case. Didn't want to break a rule & not get picked ever again, after 14 years of waiting. I scouted other spots that seemed better, but ended up near a major dirt road/fire trail and only went in about 3/4 mile. Would've liked to go another 1/2 mile in, but no way I woulda made it out in time. Sounds like they figured that out since then.

    Enjoy it, & best of luck.
     
    A

    AlBeight

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    Mar 30, 2017
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    Rats, you must've typed your revision while I was typing. That rule didn't change then :tdown: I'm telling you there was no way I would've come close to making that phone call by 8pm, had I shot that big boar I saw at 3 min before end of shooting light (approx 6:55). If I ran like the wind at the shot (didn't track it, recover it, gut it, photo it, etc...), I had a 20-25 min ankle busting walk back down the mountain to the truck, then about 25 min back out of the valley back up to Grantsville to the only cell reception. They really need to give you much more time. I coulda done the 24 hrs to check it, even if I had to quarter it out all night. I just would've violated the 8pm phone call rule.

    Check where you hunt to make sure you have cell signal....... Again, best of luck to you.
     
    Sticky

    Sticky

    Beware of Dog
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 16, 2013
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    AA Co
    AlBeight said:
    Rats, you must've typed your revision while I was typing. That rule didn't change then :tdown: I'm telling you there was no way I would've come close to making that phone call by 8pm, had I shot that big boar I saw at 3 min before end of shooting light (approx 6:55). If I ran like the wind at the shot (didn't track it, recover it, gut it, photo it, etc...), I had a 20-25 min ankle busting walk back down the mountain to the truck, then about 25 min back out of the valley back up to Grantsville to the only cell reception. They really need to give you much more time. I coulda done the 24 hrs to check it, even if I had to quarter it out all night. I just would've violated the 8pm phone call rule.

    Check where you hunt to make sure you have cell signal....... Again, best of luck to you.
    Click to expand...
    Gotcha and thanks for the heads up. I wasn't thinking it all the way through and I understand the dilemma from scouting and hunting there several years ago.
     
    foxtrapper

    foxtrapper

    Ultimate Member
    Sep 11, 2007
    4,533
    Havre de Grace
    Regarding land in WV, it's so much cheaper than in MD and you get added benefit that you can build on it and move to it later and enjoy things like...OMG...gun rights!
     
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